A Nutcracker's Padded Cell
by CyrusFluff
Summary: The MICI is a top rate institute for the criminally insane. On the first of April, Homura Akemi was detained in the MICI after an incident which led to the death of one person, and the serious injury of eleven others. Her trial has been postponed until she can receive treatment for her psychotic behavioral tendencies. [M for Suicide and Self-harm][MadoHomu]
1. Waking Up

**A/N: Another one of those ideas I keep having. Popped into my brain when I was writing something else, and then the ideas for that other thing stopped. So I guess that this is the new thing. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Madoka Magica**

**Warnings: Standard procedure for detaining a lunatic**

**Pairings: Nothing I guess. Homura and her padded cell.**

**Edit #1: Fixed up a few inconsistencies pointed out by Deltahalo241 (thank you!)**

One eye eased open slowly. Her vision was blurred, but she could see well enough to know that she was not where she had been before. Homura Akemi attempted to sit up, but he found that she couldn't. Her arms were bound. She pried her other eye open, and blinked several times to clear her vision. Looking down, she saw that she was very obviously in a strait jacket.

"_What the hell is going on?" _she thought. The last thing she could remember was taking a shortcut through some back-alleys… after that, it was almost like she had blacked out.

She tried to swing her legs off the small bed she was on. She placed her feet on the floor, all too aware of the fact that they were chained together. She walked over to the heavy padded door of her cell, and looked out the small window that had been provided.

Beyond the window was a surgically clean corridor, white paint on the walls and ceiling, blue-green lining on the floor. Every few meters along the walls, there was a door that she guessed was much like her own.

"_I guess this is some sort of institute. But why the hell am I here?"_

She could not think of any situation where she would need to be detained like this. Growing more confused by the second, she decided to try calling for help.

"Hello! Is anybody there?" She received no coherent response. Instead, she was greeted by a chorus of screams and desperate cries.

A thought occurred to her. What time was it? Surely if she were in any kind of mental institute, she wouldn't be locked in her cell unless either it was late at night, or she was a high security patient. And she still had no idea why she was there in the first place.

She sat back onto her bed, and began running over the list of possibilities that could have led her to being landed in this cell. The thought occurred to her that she could be dreaming, but there were no signs that her environment was a dreamscape or anything like that, it felt too real.

The cries from outside her cell had subsided somewhat, so she stood back up and walked over to the door. Looking out the window, she saw that a person was pushing a steel trolley along the corridor.

"_She must be the nurse. Maybe I can finally get some answers."_

As the nurse approached her door, Homura called out to her through the window. The nurse glanced sideways at her.

"What can I do for you pumpkin?" she said through the small holes in the window.

"I just want to know where I am," Homura responded bluntly.

The nurse smiled at her. "Why, you're at the MICI of course."

"_Mitakihara Institute for the Criminally Insane. Well what the hell am I doing here?"_

To the nurse she said, "Would you mind telling me how I ended up here?"

The nurse's a-little-too-kind smile faltered for a second. "I'm surprised you don't remember that pumpkin. Your little incident caused quite the hype. It's been all over the news for a couple of days."

"_Days?! I've been in here for days? Oh god, mum and dad are going to kill me."_ And to the nurse, "What do you mean by my incident?"

The nurse's smile vanished, to be replaced by a much grimmer look. "You don't remember do you?"

"Remember what?!" Homura was growing increasingly irritated with the nurse's vagueness.

The nurse looked her in the eyes, as if attempting to decide whether she could be trusted with the information.

"Look, I really shouldn't be telling you this, plus I'm on duty, but you look stable enough to take the news."

"_Yeah yeah, just tell me already!"_

The nurse sighed. "Three days ago, you went a bit crazy in the middle of the street."

"Crazy how?"

The nurse looked as though she was having second thoughts about telling her this, but she eventually said, "You lost it, and started attacking people at random, babbling something barely coherent."

Homura's blood froze. She had attacked people? Why didn't she remember any of what the nurse was saying? There had to have been a mistake.

"You put at least a dozen people in hospital before they could detain you, and… well… you killed a person."

Homura's icy blood solidified, and for a moment she felt she might faint. She had killed someone? Impossible. She wasn't exactly the epitome of physical health. Her heart prevented her from doing even basic physical activities. She had trouble swatting flies, and more importantly than that, she would_ never_ kill. She was the type of person who wouldn't hurt a fly if they could avoid it.

Obviously her disbelief registered on her face because the nurse shook her head sympathetically. "The doctors know it wasn't your fault love. They know you weren't in control. That's why they've postponed your trial until you can receive treatment."

"_My trial? Oh wait, of course there's a trial. If what she's saying is true, then it's probably the death penalty for me."_

Homura fell back onto her bed without thanking the nurse, and wished for all the world that her hands were free so that she could wipe the tears cascading down her face.

"_What the hell happened? Why don't I remember any of this? I shouldn't even be here!"_

Suddenly, she heard the door to her cell open. Into it, stepped three people. The first two were obviously security personnel; their uniform was enough of a giveaway, to say nothing of the nine millimetre pistols they wore at their hips. The third was a woman, a very pretty woman. She had pink hair, matching eyes, and a face that radiated kindness. She was rather well built too. If it were any other situation, Homura might've allowed her eyes to wander past the white lab coat she wore over her uniform.

She placed the fold out chair that she was carrying on the floor, and sat down, leaning forward to Homura. She noticed that the security guards both tensed when the girl lessened the distance between herself and Homura, and her eyes narrowed with dislike.

"So, Miss Akemi Homura, born first of May 1998, educated at Mitakihara Middle School, current occupation, painter?"

Homura realised that it was a question, and stuttered to answer. "I-uh, yes."

"Okay then. So Homura- do you mind me calling you Homura?"

"No, it's fine."

"Good. Akemi-san sounds a bit too formal for this situation. After all, we're going to become good friends, okay Homura-chan?"

"I suppose so," Homura said, uninterested.

"Good. Now, before we get down to business, I'd better introduce myself."

Homura grunted in acknowledgement, but this did not deter the girl's cheerful spirit.

"My name is Madoka Kaname. Now, what do you say we get out of this stuffy little room and talk somewhere more comfortable?"

**A/N: Well that was fun to write. I'm enjoying this universe already. I think the story might progress past the point of backstory establishment (I'm finally getting serious about a project!) Anyways, R&amp;R and until next time, stay cool.**


	2. Suicidal Sunrise

**A/N: Well, I got nothing to say here, so just enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Madoka Magica**

**Warnings: More of that mental shit.**

**Pairings: Well obviously there isn't anything yet. Be patient.**

* * *

"My name is Madoka Kaname. Now, what do you say we get out of this stuffy little room and talk somewhere more comfortable?"

Homura stared at her blankly, but this did nothing to deter her spirit.

"Tell you what, it's nearly five. The sun should be coming up soon, would you like to go watch the sunrise?"

Homura shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

Madoka smiled radiantly. It wasn't a fake smile, like the one the nurse had employed, but a genuine, kind smile.

"Okay then, let's go." Madoka helped Homura to her feet, and guided her over to the cell door. The two security guards followed suit, both of them tensed as Homura left the cell. Madoka however, didn't seem at all bothered by her. It was as if she was able to relate.

"_What a stupid thought. Of course she can't."_

Madoka guided her into one of the elevators; they were swiftly followed by the two security guards. Madoka pressed the top floor button, and the elevator started up.

After about twenty seconds, the lift reached its destination. It beeped, and the doors opened. Madoka led Homura out onto the rooftop. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, and it illuminated the night sky with an orange glow.

Madoka walked over to the ledge, and sat down on a box beside it. She gestured for Homura to do the same. Homura walked over and sat opposite her.

"So, Homura-chan. I feel like this whole thing will move a lot faster if we get to know each other a little better." Madoka rested her elbows on her knees. "So, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

Homura shrugged. "What is it you want to know?"

"Well… let's start with some of your interests. What kind of music do you like?"

Homura stared at her incredulously. Here she was, talking to a person who was apparently a murdering psychopath as if they had just met at a café.

"Homura-chan, is everything okay?"

Homura shook herself. _"Man she's nosy," _she thought, but to Madoka she said, "Mostly classical, and orchestra pieces."

"Uhuh, I'm more into pop or Jazz… anything with a good beat really." The smile on her face was starting to annoy Homura. Not because it was fake, but because of the exact opposite. The smile she wore was one of utter kindness and… pity? No, that wasn't it. There was something else there.

"So, you're a painter. What kind of paintings did you do?"

"_Just stick it out Homura. She can't keep up the act forever." _"Mostly conceptual, or abstract stuff. You might know some of my more noteworthy pieces."

"Shoot me a few names, I'll try and remember if I've ever seen any."

Homura sighed. It was kind of painful to think about her artwork, now that she was locked in the institute, but she decided it would be best to humour her.

"Gertrud, Charlotte, Elsa Maria, Walpurgisnacht."

Madoka raised her eyebrows. "Those are your works."

"Why? You know me?"

"I was at one of your big exhibitions in Tokyo. You were showing off your star piece, Kremhild Gretchen."

Homura raised an eyebrow. _"I guess they weren't lying when they said it's a small world."_

"So, moving on. Do you have any family?"

Homura had been afraid of that question. When she made to formulate an answer, the words caught in her throat. She choked back a sob. Her parents, she was never going to see them again.

Tears started to roll down her cheek once again, and suddenly Madoka looked horrified.

"I am so sorry! I shouldn't have mentioned that." She practically flew cross to Homura, and wrapped her arms around the girl.

Homura couldn't hold back any longer. She buried her face in the crook of Madoka's neck.

"It's okay Homura-chan, everything is going to be okay."

Despite Madoka's reassurances, she knew that it was hopeless. At best, she'd spend the rest of her life in a padded cell. The two security guards, still standing to attention less than ten feet away only served to reinforce that point.

When Homura's sobbing subsided somewhat, Madoka pulled away, and gripped Homura's shoulders. Homura looked up, and was met by the same kind face that she was still yet to grow accustomed to. But now, there was a look of determination in her eyes.

"Okay Homura-chan, from here on out, I'm going to make it my number one priority to help you."

Madoka pulled out a notepad, and a pen. Flipping open a new page, she clicked her pen, and suddenly looked quite business-like.

"Okay Homura. First things first, I need you to answer a few questions."

Homura sniffled, and nodded silently.

"Okay." Madoka reached over, and wiped Homura's tears away. "First question. What were you doing before your incident?"

Homura wracked her brains. "I… was on my way to an exhibition."

Madoka wrote something on the notepad. "Now, what do you remember about the incident itself."

"I don't."

"Pardon?"

"I don't remember the… whatever it was that happened. I sort of… well, blacked out when I entered the mall."

"The Mall? Weren't you on your way to an exhibition?"

"There's an art gallery at the mall. One of my friends had invited me to their exhibition…" Homura looked on the verge of tears again.

Madoka obviously noticed, because she reached over and put a hand on Homura's upper arm.

"I need you to stay strong for me Homura-chan."

Homura nodded, and fought back the tears.

"So, you don't remember anything about the incident."

"I didn't even know what had happened until one of the nurse's told me."

"I see." Madoka wrote something else down on the notepad. Eventually, she looked back up. "Did you remember experiencing any strange symptoms before entering the mall?"

"Strange how?"

Madoka waved her hand vaguely. "Headaches, Nausea, Dizziness?"

"No… everything was normal until I entered the mall."

Madoka finished writing on her notepad, flipped it shut and put it away.

"I think that should be enough for now, Homura-chan."

Homura nodded, still fighting off the tears. The sun was now well above the horizon. Madoka stood, and helped Homura to her feet. She guided her back to the lift, flanked by the two security guards. They stepped into the lift, and Madoka pressed the fifth floor button.

The elevator descended to its destination. When the lift doors slid open, Homura could immediately tell that something was wrong. Madoka silently guided her out of the lift, and over to a soft couch pushed up against one of the walls.

"Wait here Homura-chan. I need to go check something." Madoka walked over to one of the nurses, and started to talk. Her face darkened with every word.

Homura heard a rattling noise, and looked to her right. She saw a table covered in a sheet being wheeled up the hallway by two people who were obviously doctors. A sickening thought occurred to her. Was there a body underneath the sheet?

She managed to overhear part of the conversation that Madoka was having with the nurse.

"… they're sure it was suicide?"

"He was found in his room, both wrists slashed."

"Is that all?"

"No. He left a message on the wall. It's mostly illegible scribbling, but the doctors were able to make out that it was effectively a suicide note written in blood."

"I see. I need to get my patient out of here; she's not exactly the epitome of mental health at the moment."

"Of course. You do what you have to do, let the police do their job."

"Thanks."

Madoka walked back over to Homura, and helped her up once again.

"So Homura-chan, I think it's about time we got yu out of that straight jacket."

Without a word, Madoka led Homura down the hallway, quickening slightly as they passed an area marked with yellow police tape.

"Nasty business, Homura-chan. But you don't need to concern yourself with any of that. Let's get you into some more comfortable clothes."

* * *

**A/N: Apparently being sick also restricts my ability to type on my computer, so this is out at least a day late.** **Anyway, R&amp;R, and until next time.**


	3. Housekeeping

**A/N: I wrote filler! Normally I can't write filler, but I wrote filler! Well, this is the last break you'll ever be getting (probably not, I can write dark stuff without including a bit of mind-numbing fluff).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Madoka Magica. If I did own Madoka Magica, there would be (at least) one kiss scene in Rebellion.**

**Warnings: Filler**

**Pairings: XD**

* * *

Homura was guided through the maze of surgically clean hallways at a slightly alarming pace, and she herself was working at dangerous speeds, in her mind at least.

"_What a way to start my life of incarceration," _she thought bitterly,_ "A suicide on the first day. Somehow I don't think this'll be an enjoyable stay."_

She was gently nudged through a green door by Madoka, and into a room full of people who (Homura guessed) were other inmates. Some of them looked pretty… strange, and it was a little disturbing to think that she was supposed to be one of those vegetables.

"Come on Homura, not much further." Homura nodded, and noted that none of the other inmates were wearing strait jackets.

"_I guess none of them have ever killed anyone," _Homura thought sourly, and then she blinked. Why was she feeling bitter because they had never killed anyone? That wasn't a healthy way to think. She mentally scolded herself for it, and then refocussed her attention on her destination.

They had reached a little room with a sign above the door that read "Outfitting."

"_Outfitting? Am I finally getting this cursed jacket off?"_

Madoka stepped around her, and pulled out an identity card. A quick swipe later, and the door clicked open. She held the door open for Homura, who shuffled awkwardly forwards.

Madoka came in behind her, pulling the door shut.

"Okay Hmoura-chan, I think it's about time that we found you some more comfortable clothing."

Homura nodded.

"If you'll just go and sit down, I'll be right back."

Homura nodde again, and sat down on one of the plastic chairs. She looked around the room. It was pretty much the same s every other room she'd seen so far in the building. Surgically clean, disturbingly pae turquoise colour scheme. Yes, Homura felt that just about summed up her new home, in appearance at least.

Madoka returned, in her hand she was holding two vacuum sealed bags.

"Okay Homura-chan, just follow me through to the changing rooms."

Homura stood, and followed the pinkette through another door, into a long carpeted room lined with dozens of little cubicles.

"Come one Homura-chan," Madoka encourages, opening one of the cubicles and holding the door for her. Homura walked nervously in, and Madoka followed, closing and locking the cubicle behind her. "Okay Homura-chan, I've been pestering the director since you got shipped in to let me get you out of that awful strait jacket, and he finally caved. I've got a couple of sizes of standard clothing here for you. So you try a couple of them on, and tell me which one fits best."

"I… O-Okay."

"Great! But first thing's first, let's get you out of this jacket." Madoka proceeded to loosen some of the straps on Homura's jacket, and bit by bit, the awful thing loosened and eventually slid off.

The bad part about this however, was this left Homura in the rather embarrassing position of wearing nothing but her bra and panties in front of Madoka.

"I guess those'll have to come off too." Madoka gestured to Homura's underclothes.

Homura nodded meekly. "Uhm… do you think you could leave me while I-"

"Oh don't be such a baby Homura-chan. Your arms have been immobile for days, I doubt very much that your dexterity is good enough to do this sort of thing yet."

"I'm sure I can manage."

"Oh really? Show me."

Homura raised her arms hesitantly, and felt more strain than she should have.

"_Wow, they are weak."_

She fumbled with the clip of her bra, but her fingers weren't strong enough to manage it.

"I rest my case," said Madoka with a triumphant smile.

She stepped over to Homura, and helped her out of her underclothes (much to the ravenette's discomfort) and then she helped her try on several different sizes of clothes. Homura identified the set that fit her best, and Madoka helped her into those.

"There you go Homura-chan, much better." All of the sudden, Madoka wrinkled her nose. "Or maybe not. You stink Homura-chan."

"That's hardly my fault," Homura burst out indignantly.

Madoka laughed at Homura's reaction. "I know Homura-chan. Come on, you need a shower."

Madoka let them both out of the cubicle, and led Homura by the hand to the bathrooms. She undressed Homura, walked ver to the tap, and started the shower.

"Okay Homura-chan, you just stand under the water for a minute."

Homura noded, and stepped underneath the stream of warm water, praying to whatever cosmic deity was watching over her that Madoka had not noticed the blush on her face.

After about a minute, she had forgotten her little problem. The water felt heavenly. Homura had no idea why it was so good; maybe it was because she felt so unclean.

Suddenly, she felt s cold sensation on her back. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

"W-Wha-"

"Calm down Homura-chan, it's just me."

Madoka was naked too, and she was standing behind her holding cake of soap and a washer.

"Madoka!"

"You know, you can't get clean just by standing there under the water."

"Fine, give me the soap."

Madoka held out the small cake of soap, and the ravenette took it while trying to hide as much of herself from the girl as possible.

But she had difficulty holding onto the soap. Her arms must be taking a while to recover from their time in a strait jacket.

"Thought so. Just let me wash you, kay Homura-chan?"

"I-"

"Oh come on Homura, we're all girls here."

"Okay then."

So Homura stood there, and let Madoka sop her up, and then scrub her down, trying to ignore how hot and bothered the whole situation was making her.

"_It's like she's doing it on purpose."_

Madoka put the soap and washer down, and reached for a bottle of shampoo.

"I'll wash your hair now."

Homura nodded her head, wondering if the blush on her face would ever dissipate.

Madoka squeezed some of the shampoo out onto her palm, and started to massage it into Homura's scalp. She guided Homura back slightly, so that her head was directly in the spray of the shower. She ran her hand through Homura's raven tresses a few times so that she could be sure all of the soap was out of her hair. She repeated the process with the conditioner, and then (not a moment too soon in Homura's opinion) she shut off the shower.

Much to Homura's protest, Madoka insisted on drying her off. And of course, Madoka had to make sure _everywhere_ on her entire body was absolutely dry.

"_Geez, either she's being thorough or I should really watch myself around her."_

She turned her back when Madoka dried herself and dressed back into her uniform.

"Okay Homura-chan. It's nearly lunch, and you must be starving."

Suddenly, a small nagging feeling that had been nipping at the edge of her consciousness came right to the forefront of her mind.

"Y-yeah."

"I'm not surprised; they haven't given you any real food since you've been here. Well how could they really? You were out most of the time."

Madoka grabbed her hand, and led her through the corridors to the cafeteria.

They waited in line behind the other inmates (Homura noted that most of them had an escort as well) and collected Homura's meal. Madoka carried it over to a table, and set it down, gesturing to Homura to sit down. Homura sat, and immediately tried to pick up a bread roll to eat. She dropped the roll.

"_Damn these arms! How long is it going to take for me to be able to hold anything again?_"

"Here let me." Madoka reached over and broke the bread roll on Homura's plate. She buttered it, and spread some honey over it. "Here," she said, holding the bread roll out for Homura to eat.

Homura took a bite, and then another, and then another. She finished the bread roll in a matter of seconds.

"You really must be hungry, eh."

Homura nodded, and finished swallowing the bread.

"Okay, how about this." Madoka picked up a spoon and scooped some of the fried rice into it. She held it up, and Homura gladly accepted. Madoka decided it'd be best if she took her time with the rice. She didn't want Homura getting sick after all.

She picked up the bottled water on the tray, and unscrewed the cap. She held it up to Homura's lips, and Homura gladly gulped nearly half the bottle, before returning her eye to the rice.

Madoka helped Homura finish everything on the tray.

"Feeling better Homura-chan?" Madoka asked.

"Heaps."

"Good. Now, I need to talk to you about your treatment Homura-chan."

Homura stiffened.

"Don't be like that. We were going to have to talk about it sooner or later."

Homura nodded, once again silent.

"Okay, so _they_ want to use a medicated treatment program, but I don't think that's the best available course of action here."

Another nod.

"So you agree with me."

"Yes," Homura said meekly.

"Good. So, now that I've got you on board for this, I just need to convince the director to let me use some more basic treatment methods."

"Okay."

"Alright then. I'll just have to return you to your room for now, but I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay then."

"Hey Homura-chan."

"What is it?"

"Remember I promised to help you okay. I intend to keep that promise. You are my priority now, and I swear I'll do whatever I have to make sure that you get through okay."

The sincerity in her voice was encouraging. And maybe it was just Homura's imagination, but from then on she felt a bit more hopeful.

* * *

**A/N: There you go, the exact opposite of what you expected from this story. A whole chapter of brainless fluff. Now if this shit ever gets too messed up for you, just skip back to chapter 3!**

**Also, is Madoka good at her job or what? Seriously, I always imagined Madoka growing up and becoming a psychiatric doctor of some kind (I totally don't have a couple of other stories lined up where she is in that specific career).**

**Anyway, goodbye filler! R&amp;R as always, and until next time**


	4. Now by Night

**A/N: Sorry for the wait everybody. Schoolwork caught up with me after I recovered from illness, and then I had to go back to work and soccer training… So yeah, I been busy. I'll try and keep updating weekly now, but knowing me I'll probably miss a week here and there. Don't worry though; I intend to leave this story with a complete status before I drop it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Madoka Magica, I just watch it a lot.**

**Warnings: The same depressing mental stuff**

**Pairings: XP U get nothing but ship teases until I decide otherwise**

* * *

Homura fidgeted in her cell. It had been a few hours since Madoka had left her, with assurances of getting her into a normal room, and she remembered reassurances that it wouldn't take long at all.

"_Calm down Homura, she's just having a hard time convincing the director… or something… there's nothing to worry about."_

Homura shook herself slightly. Why was she worried again? The atmosphere of insanity in her quiet padded cell must really be starting to get to her.

She stood up, and began to pace. She absently swung her arms around. They were still sore from their days of imprisonment, but she was slowly regaining use over time. She could even flex her fingers again, a fact that she wasn't reluctant to exploit.

The door to her cell suddenly cracked open, and she was over in front of it awaiting attention dutifully. As she had expected… well, hoped... Madoka was the one who stepped through the door. She looked somewhat irate.

"Old fool. Nearly a decade I've worked for him and the best he can offer is 'I'll think about it?' I'll show him."

"You look stressed."

Madoka looked up, and smiled in spite of herself. "How on earth could you tell?"

"Did something happen?"

"Well, I asked the director about arranging a move for you, but he's taking his time deciding."

Homura nodded, and looked down.

"Anyway, it's pretty late now. I just came to say goodnight before I leave."

Homura nodded again.

"We'll start work in the morning then."

Another nod, and Madoka frowned.

"You know, this is only gonna work if you're willing to communicate."

"Right."

Madok sighed exhasperatedly. "You're hopeless. Anyway, goodnight Homura-chan."

"Goodnight."

Madoka smiled as she left Homura's cell, pulling the door shut behind her. Homura heard the door click, and fell back on her bed.

"_How am I going to do this?" _Her mind was a mess. She couldnt escape the persistent itch at the back of her brain that she was missing part of the story. _"The mall, that's where it happened, I remember arriving there… But what next?! What is it I'm missing?"_

Her thoughts started to wander, and before long she found herself thinking about Madoka.

"_Why does she have to be so damn kind? I know she doesn't really care about me, who would?"_

But the image of Madoka's smile kept on infiltrating her thoughts. It wasn't forced, she could tell that easily. It was a genuine, kind and loving smile.

"_So what if she does care? It's her job isn't it? I shouldn't be reading any deeper into this than that. She's just being kind because she has to be."_

Homura's head started to ache. All of the confusion was taking its toll on the ravenette. She stood up, and walked over to the door. She raised one of her arms, noting that it almost felt normal again, and knocked on the small window. But there was nobody around to hear it. The nurses on the night shift probably didn't start their rounds for a while.

Unfortunately for her, Homura's knock had apparently triggered the other inmates. The same chorus of screams from the morning resounded throughout the corridor, and Homura's headache gradually worsened.

"_I'd kill for a glass of water," _she thought dejectedly, as she made her way back over to her small bed. _"May as well try and get some sleep. Although I don't see that happen with this lot…"_

Homura laid her head down on the single pillow that she had been given, and closed her eyes. The screams started to blend in with her own thoughts, and eventually she managed to get to sleep.

* * *

"I don't believe that we should be lenient just because the institute says she is unstable."

The director of the MICI set down his coffee cup, and looked sternly at the lawyer sitting opposite him. "So, you believe that it is justifiable to sentence a person to death because of an act they committed when they had no sense of control or self-awareness."

"Not at all, I am merely saying that when the girl recovers she should be treated in a court of law as any other murderer should."

"There are two problems with your argument. One, there is no guarantee that the girl will ever recover from whatever condition she is afflicted with, and two, how can you consider this a murder case. I was under the impression you legal folk had a special name for cases like this."

"I believe you are trying to infer that we should treat this as a case of manslaughter."

"Precisely!"

"I'm sure you are mistaken sir, you see, even if her mind was not fully aware of her actions, her body most certainly acted in such a way that makes the attack seem premeditated. And as to the dilemma of how long it will take for her to recover. Well, justice will not wait indefinitely. If she is still suffering from whatever affliction she presently has when her trial comes around, then I am sure the court could be persuaded to be lenient. But as it stands, your patient is, from an official standpoint, a murderer."

"And what of the victim?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"Well, in the incident report it was noted that the man who was killed in fact intended to commit murder that same day."

"The intent of the victim is irrelevant. And even aside from that fact, we must not forget that she wounded eleven others. It is absurd to suggest that she should be excused for that."

The director rubbed his temples, trying to force down the dull ache tht was beginning there. "Fine then, this meeting is over."

"I understand sir. Do have a pleasant evening."

The director grunted a response, and returned to his paperwork.

"_What are we going to do about that girl? We have no idea what condition prompted the attack whatsoever. And of course, my best therapist had to take a liking to her on the first day."_

He leaned back in his chair, and sighed. This whole situation was more trouble than it was worth, and the director hoped sincerely that he would be able to put it all behind him very soon.

He checked his watch. Eleven-forty. _"Ah well, nothing more to be done. I may as well go home."_

Silently, he packed his briefcase, and departed the small office.

* * *

_Tap… Tap… Tap…_

Homura rolled over, and opened her eyes. The tapping noise was coming from her door. Was it morning already?

Homura stood silently, and walked over to the door. She ignored the renewed throbbing in her head, and peeked out the window. It was still dark outside, so it took her eyes a moment to adjust. There was a woman standing outside her window, grinning at her. Homura recoiled, and nearly fell over.

As she watched, the woman walked away from the door. Homura saw that she was wearing a shredded strait jacket.

"_How in hell did she manage that?"_

She was ab out ten feet away from the door, when she stopped. Turning back to Homura, she drew a kitchen knife from behind her back.

"_What the hell is going on here?!"_

The woman raised the knife, and Homura saw what she was about to do.

"No, WAIT!"

But her words did nothing, and the woman drove the knife into her stomach. Blood sprayed out onto the floor, and the woman removed the knife and walked closer to Homura's cell. She dropped the knife, and fell to her knees. With her hands, she started to paint symbols on the floor with that same maniacal grin on her face.

Homura stepped back, unable to tear her eyes away from the woman.

It took a little under a minute for her to bleed out, but she had finished writing her message. The symbols couldn't be considered human, but somehow Homura understood them perfectly. There on the floor, spelled out in the blood of the now dead woman, was her name.

Homura.

Unable to repress it any longer, she screamed. But her cry was not met by a chorus of screams this time. She was all alone.

* * *

The director rounded another corner uncomfortably. He hated walking through this part of the institute alone. All of the worst psychopaths in Japan were housed in this wing, and it was not reassuring to think that all of them were capable of all sorts of unspeakable things.

Silently, he sped up, rounding another three corners, before almost toppling to the floor. He had slipped on something. Water? No, it was too thick to be water. So, what?

He looked down, and in the dim light, he saw that he had stepped in blood. He whipped his cell phone out, and walked several more feet, before stopping dead. He saw the body of a woman in a ripped strait jacket, and a knife lying on the floor beside her, and an illegible message spelled out in blood. But the most striking feature of the whole scene was its location. The woman was slumped over, dead, right outside the cell of their new inmate.

"Oh fuck," the director muttered under his breath.

* * *

Madoka exited the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel, bathrobe wrapped around her lean figure.

"_I think I'm already starting to get somewhere with her," _she thought cheerfully, wondering how Homura was doing. The phone in the kitchen rang. Madoka slipped on her pink slippers, and padded out to answer it.

"Hello-" Madoka was cut off by the sound of the director's voice. He sounded frantic.

"Calm down sir, what happened." Madoka listened while the director explained the situation. Slowly, her face darkened.

"I'll be right there."

* * *

**A/N: DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN! And this story finally earns its M rating, go team! I knew I had to do something about Homura handling the situation so well eventually. After all, she can't be allowed to remain mentally stable. R&amp;R as always, and until next time, peace out!**


	5. The After-party

**A/N: Consider this a makeup chapter because I missed a week. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: The usual argument, in which I don't own Madoka Magica**

**Warnings: Well if you haven't picked up on the general theme of this story yet, then I think you need to pay better attention.**

**Pairings: No!**

* * *

"Let me through! I need to see my patient-"

"I'm sorry Ma'am, this is a crimescene now. I can't allow you in until forensics are done."

"Just try and stop me."

Madoka ducked under the yellow police tape, and made a break for the open door of Homura's cell.

"Hey Ma'am, wait you can't be here."

"It's alright constable, you can let her pass."

Madoka stopped abruptly, and was confronted by a woman in a suit. She had long, flowing white hair and was accompanied by another girl who was every bit the definition of contrast.

"Detective Oriko Mikune, pleasure to meet you," she said, extending a hand to Madoka. Madoka took it, and shook.

"I need to see my patient."

"I understand the situation. Your boss just informed me that you're the therapist, so I think it'll be best if we allow you to talk with the witness."

"How's she doing?" Madoka asked in spite of herself.

"She's practically comatose. Couldn't get a response out of her, I'm hoping you'll have more luck."

Madoka nodded, and walked past him to the cell. She dodged the pool of congealing blood, and ducked through the door. Madoka's heart broke when she saw the state Homura was in.

"_My god, she's a wreck."_

Homura was curled up in the corner of the room, knees tucked into her chest, arms over her head. She was shaking violently, and a small whimpering noise was coming from her throat.

She looked over to the police officer who was observing her with an expression of distaste.

"_Who's this bastard to think he can judge her?" _She glared daggers at him. "Leave us," she said curtly. The officer nodded abruptly, and departed leaving Madoka alone with her unfortunate patient.

She immediately walked over, and knelt beside the traumatized girl. Silently, she wrapped her arms around her.

"Oh Homura, Homura I'm so sorry. This isn't fair on you."

No response.

"If you don't want to talk just yet, fine. But when you do, I'll be here. I'll stay as long as you want me to."

A small twitch, although it might just have been Homura shaking, and suddenly Madoka was being enveloped in a hug. She smiled sympathetically, and returned the embrace. Wetness on her shoulder told her that Homura had started to cry. Her sobs resounded throughout the small padded cell, with the only other noise being Madoka's reassuring voice.

"It's alright now Homura-chan. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Just get it all out of your system now, okay."

Homura's sobs did not let up, but Madoka was perfectly fine with that. In any other situation, it would've been nice to be like this with a good friend. But Madoka knew that once Homura was able to communicate properly again, she would have to answer to the police, and Madoka knew that was never a pleasant thing to have to do.

It took Homura nearly twenty minutes before her tears finally stopped flowing. Homura sobs became small hiccups, which shook her frail body.

"Homura-chan, do you want some fresh air? I can take you up to the roof if you like."

Homura nodded, hiccupping lightly again.

Madoka shifted the ravenette off her, and stood up. She looped her arms around the girl's waist, and pulled her up. Madoka was supporting most of her weight, but she was fine with that. All of those archery sessions had given her a good set of shoulders and good arms for this sort of thing.

She half led, half carried Homura out of the cell and down the corridor. She dismissed the police man when he attempted to stop her, and ducked them both beneath the Police tape.

Slowly, she made her way to the lift and directed it to the top floor.

When the lift door slid open at the top, she felt Homura shiver on her shoulder.

"_Oh crap, she must be freezing."_

Madoka unzipped her jacket, and pulled Homura close to her. She zipped the jacket back up over both of them.

"_Thank god you always buy me clothes that are three sizes too big Sayaka-chan."_

She marched Homura over to the boxes they had sat on the previous morning, and set herself down with Homura sitting on her lap.

"_She needs the human contact," _Madoka thought absently, at the same time compiling a list of requests she would put to the director when they got inside. _"She'll need to be out of this cell, and into a room. We'll have to bump her therapy sessions up, and try and get her into a routine that won't give her as much time to think about this."_

"She wrote my name."

Madoka blinked. She hadn't expected anything out of Homura for a while.

"What do you mean Homura-chan?"

"On the floor. She wrote my name on the floor. She said it was my fault." Her voice broke, and she started to cry again.

Madoka was worried by that last statement. This was not the kind of thinking that led to a healthy mind.

"Of course it wasn't your fault Homura-chan. It's not possible." Madoka thought back to her brief spell on the crime scene. She noticed something horrible that could've been writing, but it wasn't in any language she recognised.

"Sh-she wrote that she blamed m-me. She s-said that… that-"

"Homura-chan, stop!"

The ravenette fell silent.

"You can't talk like that. She has been in here for longer than you've been alive, so how could it possibly be your fault?"

"But… B-But…"

"But nothing. Now, I'm going to take you inside, and I'm going to run you a bath in the staff bathrooms. You need to relax in there for as long as you need. I'll be right there beside you the whole time, so you don't need to worry about anything else happening. When you're done, I'm taking you to an unoccupied room so that you can get some sleep. I'll stay with you the whole night if it makes you feel any better. Tomorrow, we are going to start working on helping you get through this. Understood?"

Homura nodded meekly, hiccupping again.

"Okay then, good." Madoka sighed internally. She wished for all the world that they would both be able to wake up tomorrow and realize that it was all a bad dream. But she knew that this was all real, and she knew the consequences of making a mistake. _"God help us," _she thought, and she stroked the hair of the girl in her lap.

"It'll be okay Homura-chan."

* * *

**A/N: Keys to the Kingdom by Linkin Park and the main theme from Another both helped me write this. Especially that last one, tis creepy enough to put even Slender to shame. **To the Guest who reviewed Chapter 4, I think that's kind of a bit of wishful thinking. I assure you, that happened. Stay tuned to find out why. **YAY MUSIC! R&amp;R as always, and until next week…**


	6. New Assignment

**A/N: Early update YAY! Some more depressing cuteness for you this chapter. I think that I might introduce some new characters soon, might make for a nice change.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this amazing television program. It really is amazing tho, am I right?**

**Warnings: Cuteness that's overshadowed by mental instability.**

**Pairings: See in the description, although if you want to think of this all as romance (you're reading too deep too early).**

* * *

Madoka mostly carried Homura to the staff bathrooms, and ran a bath in the large basin for her. She gave Homura a minute to strip down, and looked over into the bath. It was plenty full enough.

As she walked over to turn off the tap, she noted that the bath was a little too full for Homura to go into alone, at least in the state she was in.

"_I guess she'll need a bit of help with that then."_

Madoka stripped down herself, and walked over to guide Homura into the bath. She stepped in first, and helped Homura down into the warm water.

"Is it okay Homura-chan? Not too hot is it?"

Homura shook her head, and leaned back against the tiled wall of the bath. Madoka sighed and joined her, being sure to stay close. She didn't want Homura doing anything idiotic brought on by stress.

As they sat there, Madoka silently thanked the director for installing a group bath in the womens room. She had never seen the point of having the thing until now.

"_I'll have to drop the old man a line," _Madoka thought lazily. She looked to her side, and saw that Homura hadn't moved from her position. She moved over wordlessly, and wrapped her arms arounf her frail body. Homura tensed momentarily, but relaxed easily.

"It's all gone wrong Homura-chan. Everything was supposed to be okay after our talk yesterday. But it's all messed up."

Homura grunted and might've nodded her head slightly.

"But you'll make it through. I'm going to make sure of that." Madoka smiled at the ravenette. "You'll come out the other side with a big smile on your face, and you'll be able to live a normal life again."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course." Madoka hated lying, but there were times when it was an extremely useful tool. She knew that the odds of Homura making it through this whole ordeal without some lasting scars were quite slim. And then there was her looming court case.

But Madoka shook her head. Homura was really out of it. Surely the courts would make some allowances for that.

"_I really hope it works out. Maybe that last bit wasn't a lie after all."_

"Can you help me wash myself?"

Madoka glanced quizzically at Homura.

"I feel… so unclean… I just want to scrub away all of the filth."

Madoka nodded, and took a few steps away from Homura. She retrieved a cloth and a cake of soap, and walked back to Homura. Silently and diligently, she proceeded to soap and wash Homura's back and arms. She let Homura have the soap so that she could do her privates herself, and then sat back and watched closely.

"_I can't let her out of my sight now. There's no knowing what she'll end up doing."_

Madoka sighed. What the hell was going on? It had been years, no, decades since the institute had reported a suicide, and then suddenly there were two within the space of twenty-four hours.

"_They'll probably tighten security, and god knows Homura's going to have a bad time."_

"I'm done now."

Madoka started. Her mind had wandered off again. She scolded herself, before turning her attention back to Homura. She helped the fragile ravenette out of the bath, and dried her off as best she could. She wrapped one of the spare bathrobes around her, and sat her down beside the bath while she dried herself and got dressed back into her clothes.

"Okay then Homura-chan," she said quietly, "Let's go find you an empty room."

Madoka stood Homura up, and led her out of the bathroom and down the hallway back to the lift. She took them both down one level, and led Homura out into a much more normal looking corridor. The doors to the wards weren't made of iron, and although they were secured with electronic locks, they mad the whole situation seem somehow more normal.

It only took a few minutes to find an empty room. Madoka swiped her ID card, and punched in a few numbers. She led Homura into the ward, and sat her down on the bed.

"Welcome to your new room Homura-chan. I think you'll find it a little more comfortable than the last one." Madoka smiled weakly at her poor attempt at humour. "I know it's been a really bad night Homura-chan, but you really should try and get some sleep."

Homura nodded her head and slid off the bed. But her knees were weak, and she nearly toppled over. Madoka ran to catch her, and pulled her back up. She helped her out of her bathrobe, and laid her down in the bed. She pulled the blankets down, and helped Homura into a comfortable position before tucking her in, before raising the railings on the side of the bed and taking a seat.

"It's awful," Homura said, her voice hoarse.

"Which part," replied Madoka darkly.

"All of it. It's all terrible." She turned her head to face the pinkette. "I think I really am going mad, Madoka."

"It's too soon to start giving up hope Homura-chan."

"What's the point? I'm never getting out of here. May as well start to come to terms with the fact that I'm just a murdering psycho."

"What did I tell you about talking like that," Madoka scolded, "I made a promise to you Homura-chan. I said that I would help you get better. And I will, and I won't stop until you're able to walk away from this and live a normal life."

"Do you really mean that?"

Madoka noded determinidely. "I've never broken a promise before Homura-chan, and I don't intend to start now."

"Good." Homura closed her eyes. "Madoka."

"Yes."

"Can you hold my hand until I fall asleep?"

"I will." Madoka took the hand Homura was offering her in both of hers.

"You're such a kind person," Homura said, "I don't deserve it."

"Don't say that," Madoka replied, smiling in spite of herself, "You deserve it more than any other person in the world."

* * *

"Two suicides since the girl was shipped in, I'd hardly call that coincidence."

"Calm down Kirika, we mustn't jump to any conclusions."

"I understand that Oriko, but until then can we say that it's safe to assume the witch latched onto the girl?"

"Well, she was obviously its last host. Plus it would explain how both of the prisoners were able to escape from their cells and shred their strait jackets."

Kirika Kure stretched her arms behind her head, yawning loudly. "How the hell did this whole situation get so complicated? This was supposed to be a normal witch hunt, so how the hell is it evading us so well?"

"I don't know Kirika. My soul gem isn't picking up any magical frequencies, and I've scanned the whole building top to bottom."

Kirika laughed a little. "Wow, this is really getting kinda fucked up." She spun on her heel, and pulled a large, hooked blade from thin air. "What do you think rat?"

A small white creature sat on top of a pile of books in the corner of the room.

"**I think that this situation is quite irregular. I've never encountered a witch that was able to conceal its magical energy emissions like this."**

"Why are you here Kyubey?"

The creature tilted its head. **"But surely you already know, Oriko Mikune."**

The pale girl winced. "So you're here for them then?"

"**Of course. Two subjects with the amount of potential that these girls possess. I doubt even the energy given off by Walpurginacht could rival the amount we would be able to harvest from their wit-"**

Kirika ended the small creature with a flick of her wrist, wiping the light smear of alien blood from her blade.

"I really don't like him."

"And that's one of the reasons why I affectionately refer to you as _the muscle_, Kirika."

Kirika laughed at this. "What, you think I'm only good for grunt work?"

"Not at all Kirika, but your personality is a bit 'kill first, ask no questions,' especially when it comes to Kyubey I've noticed."

"Why should I feel sympathy for little mister freak? He sure as hell doesn't feel anything for us."

Oriko gave a wry smile at this. "Oh come now Kirika, you must realise that he knew more than he was letting on."

"Obviously. But we can just ask his next body when he comes snooping around again."

"Agreed, I suppose. But until then, we have a new mission."

"And that would be?"

Oriko stood up, and walked over to the door of the director's office.

"We must protect Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi, at any cost."

* * *

**A/N: Is it just me, or am I taking it slow for once? Oh my god I am! It's been less than 24 hours, and we're already like 6 chapters in. Oh my god I learned so much from When They Cry (although I came out of that ordeal fucked up in more than one way). R&amp;R as always, and until next time…**


	7. Among Friends

**A/N: Well, here's the seventh chapter of life in hell. Hope you guys have as much fun with this as I did.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Madoka Magica.**

**Warnings: Another thing in this chapter**

**Pairings: Quack**

* * *

_3 Days Later_

"Madoka, I'm not asking. You need to go home, rest, be normal for a while."

"But if I go, then who'll look after Homura-chan?"

"I'll do it, just go home for a few hours for god's sake."

"But-"

"Madoka, you haven't left the building in three days. We're all starting to worry about you."

"I can't just-"

"Madoka, this isn't and argument you're going to win, understand? I'll look after Homura. I'll make sure she doesn't do anything reckless."

"But her next therapy session is in less than-"

"Oh please, she isn't responding to therapy anyway Madoka. I doubt missing one session will make much difference."

"But every bit counts!"

"Nobody knows that better than me Madoka, but you can't let this dominate your life. Now, I'm not saying it again, go home."

"But-"

"Don't make me call security."

Madoka clenched her fists. Yuko was a dear friend to her, but dear god he was a pest sometimes. She didn't have anything more important than Homura to pay attention to at the moment. Everything else was a distraction.

"_Although, I suppose he is right. I've been flat-out for days, and that can't be healthy. And I left my phone on the bench at home. Oh crap! Sayaka's probably worried sick. What on earth am I gonna tell her?"_

Yuko meanwhile, had walked back into the room that Homura was now living in and started collecting Madoka's belongings. He was also trying to engage in some form of small talk with Homura.

"How's it going Akemi-san?"

No response.

"And here I thought we were friends," he joked, still receiving no response. Sighing dramatically, he collected the last of Madoka's things and dumped them in her arms.

"I don't want to see you back here until at least tomorrow. Understood?"

"Okay! Alright I get it already."

"Just making sure. You have a bad habit of ignoring me on occasion."

Madoka poked her tongue out at him, and he laughed.

"Get out of her piglet."

"Hey! What did I say about calling me that?"

Another laugh. "It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to get to you."

Madoka pouted, and started down the hallway.

"Oh what, so I don't get a goodbye kiss."

"You'll be lucky if I even call you later."

"Whatever. You want me."

"_He wishes," _Madoka though, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.

Meanwhile, Yuko had sat down beside Homura and was trying to start a conversation.

"So, Akemi-san, have any interests."

Nothing.

"I heard you used to be a painter. What kind of things did you do?"

Homura still said nothing. She simple continued staring out the window at the skyscraper across the street from the institute.

Yuko sighed. _"This isn't going anywhere fast. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to sit it out then."_

He looked sadly at the ravenette. What sadness the girl must be feeling, Yuko couldn't even begin to imagine. And so he sat, and he watched.

* * *

"_Well, I guess I should have seen this coming."_

Madoka looked at the small number on her phone. Nearly two-hundred missed calls, over fifty text messages and around the same amount of voicemails.

"_She really needs to get a life," _Madoka thought, dreading the response she would receive as she clicked the call-back icon on the phone.

Silently, she put the phone to her ear and listened to the dial tone. It was less than a second before she was answered.

"Hello-"

"**Madoka Kaname! What the hell, I've been worried sick for days! You didn't cal, or text! I had the police on the phone twice!"**

Madoka cringed. It was worse than she had expected.

"**Didn't have the decency to let me know that you were still alive, I mean come on! Three days it's been Madoka! Three days! Don't you dare try and explain this away with some bullshit excuse! I know your game!"**

She sighed at her friend's antics, but said nothing. She knew from years of experience that when Sayaka went into rant mode, it was a fool's errand to try and interrupt her.

"**I only found out you were alive yesterday! I was told by a police officer down the street! What the hell is going on at that madhouse you work at?!**

Madoka frowned. She hated it when Sayaka insulted her job and her patients, so she chose that moment to interrupt.

"Sayaka, shut up and listen to me!"

Sayaka fell silent for a moment, and Madoka took advantage of it.

"You know full well that I have a demanding job! There were two incidents at the institute the other day and the whole staff body has been flat-out ever since! And to top all of that off, I have a new patient who has a very demanding condition, that I'm not even fully sure what is! So if you think that you've been having a stressful time, come trade places with me for a day and see how much you like it."

Sayaka did not respond immediately.

"Now, I was calling because I was forced to take a bit of time off and I wanted to hang out with you and Hitomi."

"**Well you're in luck then, we're both down town right now. Meet us at that funky little café down town."**

"Kay then, I'll be there in about half an hour."

"**See you then piglet."**

Madoka groaned and ended the call. Being Sayaka's friend was a very demanding job sometimes. It required both tolerance and a great measure of patience. Madoka was, fortunately, in possession of a great deal of both of these.

She walked back to her room and opened her cupboard. She picked out some clothes. Her favourite lime-green sweater and some dark blue denim jeans to compliment the green stripes. She pulled on the clothes, and grabbed her cap and glasses. She checked her appearance in the mirror, and, satisfied with how she looked, departed the apartment.

It took her a little over twenty minutes to walk all the way to the café Sayaka had referred to. It was a quiet, out of the way little place run by some old friends of theirs. The food was good, and the people were friendly. That was all Madoka really needed to keep her coming back to a place.

"Hey! Madoka!"

Madoka saw Sayaka waving from beside Hitomi, sitting at one of the little covered tables outside the café. She walked over and sat in the spare seat beside Hitomi, facing Sayaka.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Madoka."

"Hello Madoka."

Sayaka yawned, and stretched. "So, how's it been then?"

"Exhausting."

"I guessed. So how did they get you to take time off?"

Madoka frowned. "Yuko-san threatened to call security."

Sayaka laughed. "Oh man, wow he is so good to you. I don't get why you too don't just give it up and date already."

"Sayaka, come on. I told you that's never going to happen."

"Why not, he's a great guy."

"There are two problems with that."

"And those would be?"

"One, half of the time I feel like murdering him and two, the fact that he is a guy!"

Sayaka roared with laughter, contrasting with Hitomi, who was looking quietly uncomfortable with the discussion of her friend's sexual orientation.

Sayaka calmed down after a few seconds, and looked at Madoka with tears in her eyes. "Oh man, I love teasing you about that."

"That's not nice Sayaka. You shouldn't kid with me about that, you know how difficult it is for me to find someone."

"Alright, geez I'm sorry. Calm down okay."

"So what big developments have you had at work recently Madoka?" Hitomi asked, not too ambiguously trying to change the subject.

Madoka sighed. "Well, it's like I always say. I'm strictly not allowed to give you the details, but it's not been a pretty week."

"Oh yeah, you mentioned something about incidents on the phone."

"Yeah. They all started the day we got our new patient."

"Oh yeah? Who's the guy?"

"Well actually it's a girl. You might've seen her on the news this week, her names Homura-" Madoka clapped a hand over her mouth. _"Oh crap, so much for confidentiality."_

But the second she saw the look on Sayaka's face, all thoughts of confidentiality were thrown out the window.

"So you're telling me… that you've been absent from society for the last week… to take care of that… monster?"

"Sayaka calm down," Hitomi tried to console her friend to no avail.

Madoka on the other hand, only just realised what Sayaka meant. Her friend Kyousuke was one of the eleven victims that Homura had put in the hospital. The initial report apparently stated that the boy would never be able to move his arms again.

"How can you even sit there and look me in the face, knowing that you're helping the person who did that to Kyousuke?" Sayaka was on her feet by this stage.

"Sayaka, it's not like that. You don't understand the situation!"

"DON'T tell me that I don't get it! Don't tell me how it is! You're helping that freak then you're just as bad as her."

"Sayaka!" Hitomi was on her feet, trying to restrain Sayaka now. Madoka was on her feet too, with tears in her eyes.

"Don't you ever call her a freak again."

"Oh, I'm so sorry for insulting you precious freak of a patient."

"I said DON'T!"

"Hey Madoka, do me a favour. In your next therapy session with little miss freak, could you just kill her-"

Madoka crossed the distance between her and Sayaka in a single step, and connected her fist with Sayaka's face. Hitomi, who had been restraining the blue-haired girl from doing something stupid, stepped back when this happened and let Sayaka fall to the floor with a thud.

"You have no right," Madoka said, glaring through a haze of tears at the blue girl on the ground before her. "You have no right to say anything… anything bad about her."

And the Madoka was gone. Off, running down the street, sobbing.

Hitomit fidgeted awkwardly. Everyone outside the restaurant was staring at them, and they were even turning heads from the other side of the street.

"_Oh why does this sort of thing always happen when I'm with them?"_

Hitomi recovered her purse from beside her chair.

"I'm going home Sayaka," she said promptly, and walked off without so much as a goodbye.

* * *

Yuko walked slowly back to Homura Akemi's ward. Last time he checked, the ravenette was sleeping, so he'd left to get a cup of coffee. He approached the door, swiped his card and pushed it open.

Upon entering the room, he could instantly see that something was very wrong. Homura's bed was empty, and there was broken glass all over the floor, Homura herself was huddled in a quaking ball in the corner, sobbing quietly.

"Hey, Akemi-san. What's wrong-" Before he could finish a sharp pain ripped through his back. He cried out anddropped his coffee. The mug smashed, as he fell to the floor, groping at the source of the pain, and withdrew his hand sticky with blood.

A hand suddenly gripped his hair, and pulled him upright. He noted the face of Misaka Aren, a high security patient from the wing that Homura had originally been in.

"M-Misa-" A sharp tug of his hair, and he shut up. She pulled him back, exposing his throat. Yuko screamed, although it came out more like a gurgle.

He coughed blood up into his attacker's face, but this did not seem to bother her. She just widened her maniacal grin and drove her instrument, whatever it was, into his thigh muscle.

Homura was sobbing, and repeating the one word over and over. "No, no, no, no, no…"

Misaka slashed Yuko's stomach and watched the blood spray everywhere with satisfaction.

"No, no, no, no…"

Misaka raised the blade to Yuko's throat and drew it across in a mocking fashion, not quite piercing the skin.

"No, no, no, no!"

She pressed the knife just hard enough to draw blood from the long-since unconscious Yuko.

"No! No! NO! NO!"

In an instant, she flipped the knife round and dug the instrument into Yuko's throat. The blood spay covered Homura all the way on the other side of the room.

"NO! NO! NO!"

Misaka pulled a piece of rag from somewhere on her person, and soaked it in Yuko's blood. She walked over to the wall and started to paint those same obscene symbols, spelling out the same one word.

"NO!" Homura screamed and burst into tears as Misaka finished her message, and yanked the knife from Yuko's neck. She positioned it above her own breast, and grinned maniacally as she drive it straight through her heart. She fell to the floor dead beside Yuko, the grin still plastered on her face, her cold, dead eyes staring straight into Homura's own.

And Homura once again screamed, a scream that remained unanswered by anyone living or dead.

* * *

**A/N: I feel like Gen Urobuchi, bullying Sayaka like that. Hehe, it's a true fact! So, as you can see, all characters are dispensable (especially Sayaka) so next chapter will be fun. Some more suicide, a funeral and more arguing amongst friends. Until next time, R&amp;R everyone.**


	8. Full Circle

**A/N: sorry for the late update everyone. Anyway, I'm deciding that this is the chapter where I stop bullying Homura, and start degrading some of the other character's mental states.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Madoka Magica**

**Warnings: Attempted suicide, blood, insanity and sadness. You have been warned**

**Pairings: We'll get there in the end :D**

* * *

Madoka marched grouchily up the hallway on the third floor of the institute. Her face was still flushed from her earlier argument with Sayaka.

"_How dare she? She doesn't know anything about how it is. She has no right to-"_

Madoka stopped, puzzled. This was usually the time of night that the nurse chose to do her rounds on this part of the building, so where on earth was she. As she rounded the next corner, she noticed that several lights along this corridor were clacked out. Specifically, the ones around Homura's door.

Madoka broke into a run to clear the remaining distance between her and the door. As soon as she reached it, she forced it open. Her eyes shot wide, and she barely contained a scream.

Homura was sitting against the wall, both wrists cut, blood pouring everywhere.

"Homura!" Madoka immediately ran to the first aid kit on the wall, praying to god that she wasn't too late. She wrenched the door open with such force that it snapped off its hinges.

Ignoring this, she pulled out as many bandages as she could find. She grabbed a bottle of alcohol to clean the wound, and ran to Homura's side. She shed her nurse's coat, and whipped it around in front of her, pressing it to Homura's wounds in an effort to stem the flow of blood.

"M-Mado…ka-"

"Shh. Don't talk. Save your strength. Oh god Homura, what did you do?"

Madoka unbundled the bandages, and first tied one close to Homura's elbows to slow the blood-flow. She cautiously removed the coat from its place. The bleeding started up again, but nowhere near as bad.

Madoka poured a little of the alcohol from the bottle onto each of the wounds, drying it with an antiseptic wipe from her purse. She then set about bandaging the wounds as fast as she could.

"_She should be okay. But I need to get her help. She'll need a blood transfusion and everything."_

"Madoka…" Homura's voice was so weak right now.

"Cont talk Homura-chan. I need to call an ambulance, and you need to conserve your strength."

Madoka whipped out her phone, and punched in the number of the local hospital.

"_Hello, Mitakihara General Hospital, how may I assist you?"_

"Hello. I'm at the MICI on the third floor, and I have a patient who's suffered from extreme blood loss."

"_Understood, what is the nature of the patient's wounds?"_

"Both wrists cut. I've bandaged the wound, but I'm not sure how long it'll last."

"**Right. We'll dispatch an emergency unit immediately." **The attendant left the phone for a moment, and Madoka heard her call something out to who Madoka would assume are her bosses.

"**We have a unit on route."**

"Thank god."

"**Do you have the patient's details? Depending on the severity of the blood loss, the paramedics may have to perform an emergency transfusion, and they'll need to know her blood type."**

"Of course. I have everything here with me."

"**Excellent."**

"Madoka…"

Madoka turned back to Homura, and leaned closer to the girl. She wrapped her arms around her frail body.

"It's okay Homura-chan. You don't have to speak, everything will be fine."

"Madoka… I-"

"Hush."

But Homura payed her no heed. "I'm so… so sorry."

"What do you mean Homura-chan. You've got nothing to apologise for."

"I- I couldn't help… I couldn't save him."

"Homura… what do you-" But Madoka stopped. For the first time, she noticed the pungent smell that filled the room.

She slowly turned her head, dreading what she might see. It was so much worse than she's imagined.

Yuko's corpse lay on the floor, his face upturned with a look of pure terror on his face. Behind him, the body of Mikasa, the patient from level four, a mad smile on her face, and a kitchen knife sticking out of her stomach.

"**Ma'am, I'm going to need you to tell me the ward number. The paramedics have arrived on scene, but they have no idea where you are."**

Madoka screamed.

* * *

"Hey Oriko." Kirika stepped through the door of her partner's temporary office.

Oriko looked up from her book. "You have news."

"Nothing unexpected. It looks like there were two more killings at the institute."

Oriko placed a bookmark between the pages of her book, and set it down. "Is it connected?"

"Undoubtedly. The bodies were discovered in the Akemi girl's room."

"Indeed."

"So are we going over?"

Oriko closed her eyes for a few seconds, breathing deeply before answering Kirika's question with one of her own.

"Is Madoka Kaname involved?"

"She was supposedly the first one on the scene."

Oriko's eyes snapped open.

"She's vulnerable. We need to get over there."

Orko stood, and grabbed her coat from the back of her chair.

"It would do us well if we were able to locate the witch that is causing all of this. Have you made any progress?"

"The last real leap we made on that front was identifying that the Institute is where it's currently holed up."

"It must have some ability to mask its presence, if even our soul gems can't identify the location of its grief seed."

"Well that much is obvious." Kirika held the door of the police station open for Oriko.

"Either way, for now our primary objective is to prevent the Kaname girl from contracting. Eliminating the witch is a secondary concern."

"And if we fail to prevent the contract?"

"Then we will have no choice but to kill her."

Kirika grinned at this.

"Don't take it so lightly Kirika. With her raw potential alone, I shudder to think what the results of any contest with her would be."

"Yeah yeah." The grin did not leave Kirika's face. This whole situation was just starting to get really exciting.

She opened the passenger side door, and allowed Oriko to take her seat, before moving around to the driver side. As she settled herself behind the wheel, her grin widened. She relished a challenge, and this investigation was turning into quite an interesting one.

* * *

**A/N: I feel like at this point, if I try and fit too much in one chapter I'll burn out again. Sorry once again for the late update, I got a bit lazy in the first week of holidays (plus I got Fate/Zero and Steins;Gate on disc, so I've been marathoning those).**

**Anyways, because I feel like getting back into the mindless fluff-zone ASAP, I'm gonna get a few depressing chapters and tidbits out of the way ASAP.**


	9. Checking Out

**A/N: Well I did say that I wanted to get this over with. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I don't feel like writing this every time I post a chapter**

**Warnings: Dealing with the fallout of last chapter**

**Pairings: We're getting closer, bear with me**

* * *

Homura would never forget the look of horror on Madoka's face when she saw her friend's body.

The scream that followed was like a knife to Homura's soul, and all Homura could do was sit there. She was too weak to even move. She'd lost too much blood to be able to speak. So she sat, her eyes too dry to shed a tear for Madoka's loss.

And when Madoka's scream subsided, and she fell against Homura, sobbing, the ravenette couldn't lift her bandaged arms to comfort her.

When the paramedics arrived, and dragged Madoka out of the room to attend to Homura, she was too weak to protest.

"_That's all you've ever been though, Homura. You're just weak. Too weak to be any use to anyone."_

When the stress of it all finally became too much, she blacked out.

* * *

Homura's eyes opened slightly, and she found herself staring at the cream coloured ceiling. She was no longer at the institute.

The sterile smell of the environment she was in… Homura's sluggish brain was just functional enough to identify that the room was probably a hospital ward.

The curtains were drawn around her bed, so she couldn't see if there was anyone else in the room. She sat up, and tried to rub her temples to clear her thoughts. But her hand wouldn't move. There were bandaged on both of them, and several drips in her arm.

The events of that night came back to her all at once.

"Madoka!" Homura didn't even realise that she had called out her name aloud until a nurse stepped through the curtains.

"What is it dear?" The nurse's voice sounded forcibly calm.

"Where is Madoka."

"You mean the girl they found you with? She's been ordered to take a few days off sweetie."

"_I really hate you people. And I bet you think I'm a psycho killer, just like all of the rest of them."_

The nurse left straightened some things up around her bed, and then left her. Homura was alone for the next few minutes, until two other people stepped through the curtains.

Homura vaguely recognised their faces. They were the detectives who were at the institute after the first killing.

"Homura Akemi?"

Homura realised that it was a question, and nodded.

"My name is Oriko Mikune. You probably know why I'm-"

"Where is Madoka?"

Oriko cleared her throat. "I assure you that Madoka Kaname is safe and sound. I have personally seen to it that she is in no danger."

Homura breathed a sigh of relief, but then tensed up again.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"My my, you're being remarkably talkative this time around-"

"Madoka is in danger. I know it."

"I know Akemi-san. Nobody knows better than I, the true nature of Madoka's peril."

Homura stared at the detective.

"_Who the hell is this person?"_

"Now, you probably assumed we were here to interrogate you."

"_Arent you?"_

Oriko grinned, as if she had read Homura's mind. "No Miss Akemi. We are here to get you out of here." Homura noticed that the other one had left.

She was wondering for less than a second when the dark-haired girl stepped back through the curtains, wheeling a wheelchair in front of her.

"Okay Oriko, help me get her onto this thing."

Oriko nodded, and helped Kirika lift Homura out of her bed and into the chair. Homura tried to protest. She tried to struggle. But her body was limp in their hands.

Homura felt one of them slide all of the drips out of her arm, and bandage it up.

"Okay, you wait here and I'll go and consult with the nurse."

Oriko left the two ravenettes alone.

"So, having a rough time are we?"

Homura ignored her.

"What, are we back to not speaking again?"

No response.

"You suck. This isn't going to be fun at all." Kirika silently cursed. Why did Oriko always have such an easier time talking to people than her?

It came as a relief when Oriko returned.

"They've agreed to let us transport her back to the institute."

"I'm assuming that's not where we're going."

"Was there ever any doubt, Kirika? Neither of them can ever go back to that place."

"Naturally." Kirika started to wheel Homura's chair casually out of the ward. "Have you got a place organised?"

"Naturally."

"Great. Now we just need to-"

Kirika's speech was cut off by a scream. Kirika reacted to the rush of blue hair, flipping its owner over her shoulder onto the floor. She handcuffed the crazy girl's hands behind her back, and pulled her to her feet.

"Hey missy, watch how you go or you might end up in real trouble one day." But Kirika was secretly grinning. She loved being able to use her handcuffs on people. The novelty would never wear off.

She threw the blue-haired girl away from Homura and Oriko.

"You know, you're lucky I'm busy or I'd escort you to the station myself."

"Fuck you!" The blue girl screamed, just as security arrived on the screen. "You don't have the right to judge me! Why would you stop me from ending that monster?"

Kirika snorted in disgust. "You don't have half a clue what you're talking about. Get her out of here."

The security guards dragged the blunette, kicking and screaming away from the scene.

"Well that was interesting," Kirika said as she started to wheel Homura down the corridor once more.

"She must be a friend of one of the victims."

"Nah. She'd be much closer than just a friend for that sort of reaction."

"You think so."

"Yep. Bluey, whoever the hell she was, is head over heels in love with one of the poor idiots Miss Akemi here stabbed the other day."

"You're not helping Kirika."

Kirika chuckled slightly.

"I'm the one pushing the wheelchair."

"Just shut up." The trio reached an elevator that took them down to the ground floor.

They exited the elevator, and passed through the reception area. Their cohort attracted more than a few dirty glares as they went along.

Out the hospital doors, and straight to Oriko's car. Kirika carried Homura bridal style from the chair to the car, set her down in the back seat and buckled her in.

Then she settled herself in the driver's seat, with Oriko already sitting beside her.

"Okay then, where too milady?"

"Straight ahead."

* * *

**A/N: More angst to come before I'm allowed to write more dumb fluff. Hang in there my sweet reviewers.**

**To the Guest who so kindly and consistently reminds me to get off my lazy ass and write, thank you. I'd really like it if you'd make an account so that I could reply to you directly, as I do with all of my other friends.**

**R&amp;R as always, and until next time…**


	10. New Home

**A/N: Sorry for not updating in a few weeks. My schoolwork just kicked in, and my internet has been malfunctioning. These two things in tandem really fucked me up, so yeah…**

**Anyways, this is the tenth chapter. DOUBLE DIGITS PEEPS! We made it, and now this story can begin its descent into hell. ENJOY**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Madoka Magica**

**Warnings: A couple of mentally broken fools, and OOC Oriko and Kirika**

**Pairings: Shhhhhh…**

* * *

"Is this really the place?"

"Yes."

"Kind of a dump don't you think," Kirika said, eying the decrepid building wearily.

"It'll do."

Kirika snorted, and opened the back seat door. Homura was cowering at the other end.

Kirika sighed. "I wont bite you know. You'll be safe with us."

The girl didn't move, or take her eyes off the other ravenette.

Kirika sighed again. "Look, do you want to see your little pink haired friend again or what?"

This stirred the terrified girl. She slowly edged over to Kirika, and attempted to stand up.

Her legs gave way, and Kirika barely caught her in time.

"Easy there tiger. You don't want to over-exert yourself yet."

Homura nodded.

"Hey Oriko, how goes the wheelchair?"

Oriko pushed the steel framed chair around the back fot he car.

"Here."

"Good."

Kirika helped Homura into the chair, and led the way to the house. She took out a keyring, and identified the old rusty key as the one to the door of this house.

She unlocked the door, and pushed it creakily open. There were candles burning in the holsters on the walls, casting a flickering uneven light down the hallway. The floorboards were creaky, and the paint on the walls and ceiling was peeling.

"Yeah, great spot you picked Oriko."

"We're undercover."

"Still, you could have picked somewhere livable to use as a home base."

"This is fine. Now take our guest here to see her friend. I get the impression they'll be a little more talkative if they're together."

Kirika grunted in amusement at Oriko's statement, but nodded and moved on all the same.

Down the hall, and through several rooms, they came to a stop in a tiny bedroom.

"Madoka!" Homura immediately caught sight of the pinkette lying on the bed.

Madoka turned her head slightly, and caught sight of the ravenette sitting in the wheelchair. Her face immediately flooded with relief.

"Thank god."

"She's in your care once again as of now. My partner and I are running a covert operation, so that means you aren't to leave this house. You can ask for anything you'd like, Oriko can pay for it. But no leaving the house, like I said."

Madoka stood up shakily, and made her way over to Homura's wheelchair. Kirika left the two without another word.

"I was so worried Homura-chan." Madoka embraced tha ravenette, and for the first time the ravenette returned the affection.

"We'll be okay Homura-chan."

"Madoka…" Homura started to sob. "I-I'm s-sorry."

"You have nothing to apologise for Homura."

"B-but, if it weren't for me th-then none of this would have h-happened... and your f-friend would still be…" Homura broke down.

"Shhh. It's okay Homura-chan. There was nothing you could do." There were tears in Madoka's eyes as the recollection of that horrible night came back to her.

"I'm so useless."

"Don't say that Homura-chan. I need you now more than ever. Look," Madoka pulled away and cupped Homura's face in her hands. "I'll be relying on you too now Homura-chan. So neither one of us can afford to get sloppy."

Homura reached up, and wiped the tears from Madoka's eyes.

"We'll make the best of a bad situation. You and me together, okay?"

Homura swallowed the lump in her throat, and nodded.

* * *

"The cops will be after her by tomorrow morning."

"You think so?"

"I know so. I can already see the news headline, 'Escaped Psychopath on the loose, citizens warned to take caution in their day to day lives'."

"That seems a bit excessive."

"Either way, they're going to have to let people know that a murderer is on the loose. Once that happens, we won't be able to show our faces in public again. They know it was us who transported the girl out of the hospital."

"We'll just have t be more careful."

"Are you kidding me?" Kirika laughed. "It'll be damned near impossible to get back to the asylum, that's if the witch is even still there."

"We need to withdraw for a while, consider all of our options."

"You may be right."

"**Human politics are really quite fascinating."**

"Oh great, speak of the teddy-bear devil."

Kyubey tilted his head. **"You seem less than pleased to see me."**

"I'm never pleased to see you. Whenever you show up all you offer is depressing commentary on matters that don't even concern you."

"**I don't know where you came up with this assumption that I have nothing to do with this comes from. After all, at the present time my primary mission is to ensure that Madoka Kaname enters into a contract with me."**

"That's not going to happen." Oriko interjected. "We'll kill her before we allow you purchase in her mind."

"**You seem quite certain of this."**

"I wouldn't say something I wasn't certain of. Madoka Kaname will never make that contract."

"**We shall see Oriko Mikune."**

Oriko paused for a moment. "The witch that caused all of this. What is it?"

"**I'm afraid I don't know. It's an irregularity. It doesn't belong in this reality. I am uncertain as to whether or not it even carries a grief seed."**

"You're saying a familiar caused all of this."

"**No. This enemy is far to powerful to be a familiar. And it only seems to be growing stronger. I'd suggest dealing with it as soon as you possible can."**

"That's easier said than done." Oriko turned away from the alien, and walked over to the window. She peered through the curtains. Everything was normal outside. They were safe for the time being.

"Kirika, kill it." A flash of steel, and Kyubey's body fell into two pieces. They quickly decomposed to nothing.

"So what are we going to do about this witch?"

"I don't know," Oriko admitted. "It troubles me that we haven't already caught up to it."

"Agreed." Kirika scratched her chin. "What do you think he meant by 'human politics are fascinating'."

"Nothing special I'm sure. He's probably just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat as they say."

"Go and inform our guests that we're going out."

"I thought they weren't supposed to-"

"No Kirika, you and I are going out. They are to stay put as usual."

"Right."

Kirika left the room, and Oriko rubbed her templeds gently. How had this happened? A simple witch hunt had turned into _this_. Kirika was right. By morning, they would both be wanted people, which would only serve to complicate matters further.

"They'll stay put, don't worry about it."

"Of course."

"So, shall we."

"Of course. Let's go.

* * *

**A/N: White Noise by Linkin Park was my primary creative companion for this chapter. I'll try and get back into my updating rhythm that I sort of abandoned. Anyways, I've got a bunch of other stuff in the works that I'll get up some time in the next fortnight (hopefully) at least one Lexicon update, some more one-shots from other fandoms… yeah, I won't make any promises yet.**


	11. Gathering Intel

**A/N: ****Read the end notes please**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Madoka Magica**

**Warnings: Same old stuff**

**Pairings: ^_^**

"Last chance." Kirika slammed the girl into the alley wall. "Talk or we end you."

"P-please." The girl's bloody face wore an expression of pure terror. "I don't know anything."

"Wrong answer."

"Kirika, I'd finish up or we'll have a witch on our hands."

Kirika glanced at the girl's soul gem. It was quite cloudy indeed.

"That's a shame." Kirika conjured a blade, and sliced their captive's throat. "I was enjoying that."

"You sound like a sadist."

"What if I am?"

Oriko shook her head. "Nothing. I was just making an observation." Oriko walked over to the body. "You were a bit excessive, don't you think?"

"She had information."

"How can you be so sure?"

"She's been tailing this witch as well. And she didn't have to be discreet about it to get results."

"Three disappearances this week."

"I'd be willing to bet that this one had something to do with that."

Oriko stood up, and turned away from the grizzly scene.

"Dispose of the body swiftly. We're not done yet."

"You got it."

Oriko walked away from Kirika as she set about preparing the body for a move. She walked out of the alleyway, and on to the lamp-lit road.

"Maybe you should just level the whole building."

Oriko spun on her heel and dropped into a fighting stance.

"Whoa, calm down I was just making a suggestion."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm a magical girl, just like you. And you won't get the drop on me like our unfortunate friend in there."

"What do you want?"

"Nothing really, I was just passing by and I heard you and your friend in the alleyway." The girl stepped out of the shadows. She was quite tall, and had bright red hair. "You guys sure made a mess."

"My partner gets a little over-excited sometimes."

"Right." The girl walked past Oriko and disappeared back into the darkness. "Well, see you later then."

Oriko relaxed slightly, and Kirika suddenly materialised beside her.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just…" Oriko glanced back around to check for the mysterious redhead. "We may have a problem. I don't think we'll be able to kill this one so easily. And she knows what we're doing."

Madoka forced the thick-set wooden door open, and coughed when she hit the cloud of dust that greeted her on the other side.

She grabbed the candle she was using for light, and stepped into the room. Bingo! Just as she'd expected, this was the bathroom. And even better, it seemed to be in reasonably good condition (save the layer of dust that coated every surface).

"Madoka…" Homura called from the other room.

"_Crap. I woke her up."_

"It's Okay Homura-chan, I'm here."

Homura nodded, the worried expression leaving her face when she saw the pinkette.

"Hey." Madoka walked over and sat beside the ravenette. "Were you worried about me?"

"Of course…"

"I'm touched Homura-chan." Madoka pulled the ravenette into a hug. "You're a great friend."

Homura wrapped her arms around Madoka, and subconsciously pulled her closer.

"You should try and get some more sleep Homura-chan."

"I've been asleep for three days," Homura protested.

"But you're still weak. You should take some time and get your strength back-" Madoka realised something. "You haven't eaten in three days?"

Homura shook her head.

"Homura-chan, why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't want you to worry."

"Homura-chan," Madoka said exhasperatedly, "Youre under my care now. And the way things are at the moment, I think you're probably my only friend." Madoka pulled away from the ravenette, and grinned. "I have to take care of you, don't i?"

Homura remained silent.

"Here." Madoka turned around. "Hop on, and we'll go get something to eat."

Homura looked confused, and Madoka sighed. "Hop on my back. I'll carry you down to the kitchen."

Homura clambered awkwardly onto Madoka's back, wrapping her legs around the pinkette's lower back and hanging her arms over her shoulders.

"Here we go." Madoka stood up, and carried Homura somewhat haphazardly down the staircase to the small kitchen.

She set the ravenette down on a wooden chair, and walked over to the pantry. She opened a couple of the cupboard doors. "Well, this isn't much, but I can work with it." She grabbed a few things and started to cook.

"We probably could level the building." Kirika said offhandedly as she steered the car around the corner.

"That wouldn't work. A witch's labyrinth is a self-contained universe. All that would lead to is an unnecessary number of casualties."

"Sometimes you have no sense of humour."

"This isn't a matter to be joking about."

"Alright, geez."

Oriko stared aimlessly out of the tinted window.

"Take us back to base Kirika. I think that we've left them alone for quite long enough."

"I doubt Kyubey would have found a way in yet." She grunted as the car rounded a bend a little abruptly. "The defences we set were pretty damn thorough."

"And what about the witch?"

"We'll have warning if any unusual magical signatures pass within a kilometre of the house."

Oriko sighed. "I suppose I'm just being overcautious."

"You need a vacation, Oriko. I don't think I've seen you take a breather since I met you."

"There's no time for stuff like that."

"Not with the amount of work you make yourself do."

Oriko huffed, and sat back in her seat. Kirika didn't get it. Sadly, Oriko doubted if the ravenette ever would. But at the same time, Oriko relied on Kirika almost as much as Kirika did her.

"_Maybe one day, we'll have the time to just relax." _She couldn't deny that the thought was appealing. But with the life she had chosen to live, she very much doubted it.

"We're here."

Oriko pushed the car door open and stepped out. She followed Kirika up to the porch of the decaying house, and kept a lookout as Kirika opened it up.

"**I have to say, the defences you set to ensnare me were quite thorough." **Kirika instantly materialised a blade.

"How in the hell?"

"**I assure you, it was not easy. I had to go through quite a few bodies to reach this place again. But the results are most satisfying indeed."**

"You bastard."

"**I have successfully contracted Homura Akemi."**

"Where are they now, Incubator?" Oriko questioned, pinning Kyubey to the wall.

"**Homura Akemi took Madoka Kaname and left. I don't know where they are now, but I could probably find them with minimal effort."**

"Don't bother." Oriko tossed the offending creature over her shoulder, and heard the satisfying sound of his form disintegrating as Kirika cut it in half.

"So what now?"

"There's nothing we can do for now." Oriko shrugged off her jacket and walked a little way further into the house. "They're both lost to us now. When the opportunity presents itself, they will both have to die."

"And in the meantime?"

"We continue with our investigation. We have maintain appearances."

"Of course."

"And Kirika."

"Yes?"

"We will have to be gone from this place by morning."

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger everyone. This will be my last update for a while, as I am going on Hiatus. I'll still be reading and reviewing, but I'd like to take some time to focus on other projects (original works that I have lined up for FictionPress).**

**So R&amp;R if you will, and until next time… **


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